Stockist Spotlight: Tawny Phillips

TAWNY PHILLIPS

Please introduce yourself to my readers – who are you and what do you do?

I make jewellery that celebrates individuality and character. Unique one-off designs that won't be found on the high street inspired by the urban and natural world around me. All the jewellery on this site is handmade in the London studio. My wedding rings are contemporary and unisex in style and can be adapted to suit both men and women by altering scale and weight. New wedding rings can be made from recycling old gold family heirlooms or wedding rings which you may wish to re-use for sentimental reasons. I want people to feel confident to approach me with their own ideas so that we can create unique pieces of jewellery they love to wear. Something luxurious and precious to be enjoyed every day and cherished for a lifetime.

When did you get started as a business and what were the main ideas behind setting the business up?I have been in business since graduating from Middlesex University 14 years ago and my work was quickly picked up by Paul Smith for whom I designed exclusive men's and women's collections and stocked in his various shops around the world. I have also had collections bought by Donna Karan and Harrods. The emphasis in my work is very much on handmade and unusual. I have been making wedding rings from my studio in Bermondsey for the last five years as rings are, I feel, my strongest designs and i enjoy very much the process of working with clients' ideas. They are also wonderful pieces of art to wear and it is an honour to know that people are wearing my rings for the rest of their life and looking at them every day. Most of my designs are textured and unusual - my clients are usually looking for something very different to what is available on the high street and I try to create unique one-off pieces for them using their design ideas as a starting point.

Do you have any words of advice for couples who are purchasing their wedding rings?Designing your own bespoke wedding rings is a wonderfully romantic way of expressing your individual style and taste with the most significant and personal piece of jewellery you will ever own - sometimes only your vision of the perfect rings will do! Bring ideas and inspirations with you and either fully involve yourselves in the design process or allow me to create one-off exclusive pieces that you'll cherish for a lifetime. I can take you through the whole process finishing only when you are delighted with the results.

Please could you talk us through your bespoke service?After an initial meeting at the studio to show you samples of wedding rings, discuss your requirements and take sizings I will create a series of models to capture the ideas discussed. I am happy to produce as many as needed to work out the designs you like so that you can see these in 3d (which often looks very different to a sketch) as well as try them to ensure a perfect fit. At this stage if you wish to see models in metals these can be cast. At the subsequent meeting the models are tweaked and approved or worked on further.

Once the ideal designs are perfected I will cast in the metals you require and finishes, stones and engraving can be discussed. All rings are hallmarked at the London Assay Office. This is your guarantee of metal quality and also states the year the rings were made. If the designs are very straightforward, only the initial meeting is necessary and everything else can be done via email/phone and rings can be sent directly to you.

If visiting the studio is totally unrealistic then I am happy to work out your designs at a distance, the only thing to take into consideration is that your rings will take a little longer to create due to models being posted and designs refined via instructions by email and phone, but really, this is not difficult.
If you already have precious stones in an antique piece of jewellery which have sentimental value and would like them used in your new contemporary design, this can easily be done.

All engraving is done by hand and is charged per letter or number. If there is a pattern, fancy engraving or personal message you would like inscribed onto the inside or outside of your piece this can usually be done. I can also source beautiful regular or unusual gemstones and diamonds in varied shapes and sizes should you wish to customise any of the designs in this way. A selection of stones to suit your budget can be shown to you at the studio on request